


Calm in the Storm

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Modern World AU, No Magic AU, Stormed In, cuteness ensues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9669050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: A freak storm causes Belle and Gold to spend an evening together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy fifth anniversary to my forever OTP, Rumbelle.

In all of his years in Storybrooke, James Gold had never seen a storm like this. As he peered out of the window of his shop, the street was hardly visible, and the rain was coming down at a hard angle, pounding the building relentlessly. The roads had to be flooding at this point. It was entirely likely he’d be spending the night sleeping in the shop instead of trying to drive home, if the radio’s weather forecast was anything to go by.

There hadn’t been any customers all day, and there certainly wouldn’t be any now, but just for good measure, he flipped the sign on the door to “closed”. As he turned to retreat to the backroom, the door whooshed open, rain splattering the floor and getting the entryway covered. Gold wanted to glare at whoever it was who had ignored his sign, and been idiotic enough to visit the shop in this weather, but the bright yellow rain jacket gave him pause.

“Hello, Mr. Gold,” came the quiet, familiar voice from the hood.

“Hey,” he returned, staring at Belle French, town librarian, as she lowered the hood. Her hair, regardless of her best effort, was soaking wet, and her entire body seemed to be dripping water.

“Happen to have anything dry I could wear?” she asked, glancing down at her outfit before wiping rain drops off her eyes.

He nodded, heading towards the back. “I’ll, um, stay here,” she said. “So I don’t track water through the whole place.”

Gold went to the back room and found a selection of clothing, mostly his. He kept a few changes of clothes at work - just in case he spilled something, or wanted to go to the gym after work, but he’d never given his clothes to a woman. He found a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring waist - hopefully that’d be helpful for the petite Ms. French - and a Storybrooke Cougars t-shirt. He retreated out of the back, handing them to Belle, who thanked him.

“Oh,” he said, after a strained moment of silence as she looked between the clothes and him, “I’ll just - go back, so you can change.”

Gold wished he was not the most awkward person alive, but Belle brought it out of him. The librarian had a knack for reading people, and Gold was no exception. He often found himself lingering in the library beyond it’s posted hours, just enjoying her conversation. While most of the townspeople didn’t enjoy his company, Belle seemed to be different. It was entirely strange, given he was older than her, and antisocial and quite unlikable entirely. His ex-wife had made sure he’d known that. It was starting conversations with Belle that was difficult, but once they had begun to talk, his stammering lessened and conversation flowed easily. But, normally, he was in control. _He_ went to the library. She didn’t go to the shop.

“It’s all clear,” he heard her say. She flashed him a smile as he entered the room, running her fingers through her dripping hair. “That hood did me no good. It kept getting blown back in the wind.”

“I, uh, I’m sorry about that,” he said. He noticed she’d folded her wet clothes over the counter, her yellow rain jacket on the door handle, and her rain boots by the door. Right at home in his small pawn shop.

“No, I’m sorry,” she said. “I just- noticed your car in the front and figured it’d be better to have some company in this. I was thinking about sleeping on a bookshelf if need be, but… that seemed uncomfortable.”

He chuckled, motioning around the shop. “This seemed better?”

Belle pursed her lips. “No,” she said, taking a step closer to him. “But at least I can complain to you here. The books don’t usually respond to me.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

She nodded. “I am sorry, really, for coming in here unexpectedly and everything - I just heard that -”

As if by magic, the lights suddenly flickered out. “The power was going to go,” she finished flatly. “And I didn’t want to be alone.”

He wanted to ask her why she’d run here instead of somewhere she had friends, like Granny’s, but his pawn shop was probably the first place she thought she had someone she’d be safe with. _Someone she’d be safe with._ The thought almost took his breath away, but he kept a level head. “It’s perfectly alright, Ms. French.”

“Just call me Belle,” she replied. “Now, Mr. Gold, do you happen to have any candles?”


	2. Chapter 2

They spent the next few minutes looking through a back closet, finding everything but candles. Finally, there was one box left on the top shelf. Belle looked at him, hands on her hips. “Am I gonna have to jump for it, or can you reach it?” she asked.

Gold didn’t think of himself as a tall man, but Belle was definitely not a tall woman. He had a good few inches of height on her. “I don’t know if we’ll find what we need,” he said, leaning up to retrieve the box. “Oh  - wait!”

Belle took the box from him, eagerly removing two old, white candles and a lighter. “It’s probably a fire hazard to have that up there,” she said teasingly.

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” he replied, and she winked. He surprised himself by winking back. They set up camp in the main room, two candles keeping them company. Belle sat cross-legged on the floor, and he sat against the wall across from her. The conversation flowed naturally from the freak storm to the last good book they both read, to their mutual disdain for the upcoming Miner’s Fair.

They transitioned to comfortable silence, until a strange noise broke it. “Was that-”

“My stomach,” Belle said, a blush rising on her cheeks. “I didn’t eat lunch, and I’m kind of starving.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Gold asked, trying to remember if he had any food hidden anywhere.

“I was already imposing by barging in here, I couldn’t ask you to feed me, too,” she insisted. “Unless, of course, you do have food.”

“I don’t think I do,” he said, “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t worry. I normally have a granola bag or something in my purse but I forgot to put one in this week.”

Belle rose from her spot on the floor, looking outside the window. She turned back to him, a mischievous look on her face. “I’m going for a swim. Do you want to join me?”

“What?” he asked, standing up and joining her at the window. “We’ll get soaked.”

“But we won’t starve,” she pointed out. “It looks like the storm is letting up, and we can go to my apartment and I’ve got things we can eat. If you don’t mind driving, that is.”

“No, it should be okay if your apartment isn’t too far,” he said, “This is probably drivable.”

Belle nodded at him, collecting her wet, folded clothes and putting back on her bright, yellow rain jacket and boots. “It’s like I’m walking in a puddle every time I step,” she complained, looking down at the boots with disdain.

Gold opened the door, and they made a mad dash towards his car. He was dripping wet by the time he’d opened the door for her and ran back to the driver’s seat. “Well,” Belle said, blowing wet strands of hair out of her eyes. “That was lovely.”

“Exhilarating,” he agreed, turning the car on, the windshield wipers going at full speed. Belle gave him directions to her home, and he gripped the steering wheel tightly, heart beating quickly at both the less than perfect weather conditions and the fact Belle was in the passenger seat of his car.


	3. Chapter 3

They ran to her front door, getting drenched despite their best efforts. Belle quickly unlocked her door, ushering him inside. “I think I have a sweatshirt that could fit you, but I don’t think I can help with the pants situation,” she said, after giving him a quick tour. “Just throw your wet stuff in the laundry room.”

This was truly the most insane day of his life, Gold thought as he removed his dress shirt and put Belle’s sweatshirt on. When he joined her in her kitchen, she was blow-drying her hair. “Power’s fine here,” she said cheerfully. “You need this?”

He took it from her, awkwardly drying the stains on his pants. She giggled. “What?” he asked, trying not to let her know how ridiculous he felt.

“I just never expected to have the great and powerful Mr. Gold in my kitchen, blow drying his pants.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” he said, raising his eyebrows, a fake serious tone in his voice.

“Nobody would believe me,” Belle said with a sigh before laughing, moving to her fridge. “Chicken soup good for dinner?”

He agreed, helping her set the table as the soup heated on the stove. They ate in comfortable silence, the sounds of the storm their background music. Belle found a leftover piece of pie from Granny’s in her fridge and they split it, toasting with their water glasses. “I wish I hadn’t finished my bottle of wine last weekend,” she admitted. “I didn’t know this would happen, clearly.”

“Neither of us did,” he said, taking her plate and his to the sink. It was odd how normal this felt.

“I’m kind of… happy it did,” Belle said slowly, watching him from the table.

“Why’s that?” he asked, returning to sit down next to her. He was happy as well, but wasn’t sure why she would be.

“Mr. Gold,” she said, sounding slightly exasperated, like he should know the answer.

“James,” he said. “My first name. It’s James.”

“Oh,” Belle said, saying it again. “James.”

He liked the way it fell off her lips. “James,” she said again, before taking a deep breath. “Obviously I’m happy you’re here because I like you.”

“What?” he asked, suddenly wondering if he had gotten into a car crash in the storm and this was some kind of afterlife.

“I like you,” she said. “I have a crush on you. Don’t make me say it again.”

It was suddenly very quiet, and Belle fidgeted. “Say something,” she urged. “If you don’t like me back, change the topic for God’s sake.”

“Of course I like you back,” he said. “I just didn’t think you… liked me.”

“Well, I do,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m glad we’ve gotten that out of the way. It’s always the worst part of a relationship, admitting it’s something more than a friendship.”

“Oh,” he said. “That’s - surprising.”

“Why?” she asked, reaching to cover his hand with hers.

“Because, you’re… you, and I’m me,” he said. She looked confused, so he continued. “I’m old, you’re young. You’re a social butterfly, I’m practically a recluse. People are scared of me, they love you. You’re… shockingly beautiful, and I’m…”

“Handsome,” Belle finished, looking at him intensely. He wanted to turn away from her gaze, but found himself transfixed. “You’re perfectly sociable when you want to be, age is a number, and I think you’re just lonely, not a recluse. People who are scared of you have never bothered to have a conversation with you beyond rent day, and it’s a shame.”

“That’s an interesting way to put it,” he said after a moment.

“But it’s true, isn’t it, James?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. He loved the way she was slipping his first name into the conversation.

“I suppose,” he admitted.

She broke into a smile, then looked out the window. “The rain has stopped,” she said. Belle picked her phone off the counter, tapping around. “Weather app says the worst is over.”

“Oh, okay,” he said. “I guess I’ll-” he was standing up to leave, but she reached for his arm, stopping him.

“Why don’t you just spend the night?” she asked. “This app’s only right half the time on a good day. I wouldn’t want you to get stuck in the middle of a monsoon on the roads.”

“And I wouldn’t want you to be lonely.”

“Neither of us are lonely now,” she said, her body suddenly close to his, her eyes studying his face, then his lips. Gold couldn’t believe himself when he leaned down, kissing her, hands running through her still damp hair, then reaching up and down her back. She leaned up against him on her tip toes, arms wrapped around his neck. It was gentle at first, cautious, and then more passionate, more wanting.

They broke apart, her forehead resting against his. “God,” Belle whispered. “I wish we’d gotten stormed in a lot sooner.”

“Me, too,” he agreed, kissing her again.

“Does the offer still stand to spend the night?” he asked, and she grinned.

“What do you think, genius?” she asked, before leading him towards her couch.

In the morning, Gold realized he had never been happier, and it was all due to a freak storm, a hungry stomach, and the beautiful girl he was holding in his arms.


End file.
